School fires resurface in Machakos county

Effects of the fire that burnt down a dormitory in Ekalakala secondary, Machakos county.

Tragic school fires could be on rampage once again after a dormitory was razed down in Ekalakala secondary school in Masinga sub-county of Machakos county on Friday May 11.

The Friday night tragedy allegedly subjected more than 60 students to the cold and destroyed property of unknown value.

Confirming the sad news, the Masinga Assistant County commissioner, John Kipsang’ said that the fire reduced everything in the dormitory to ashes adding that their were no serious injuries reported by the inhabitants of the dorm.

Kipsang’also alleged that the fire could have been started by a fault in the electric connections but did not rule out arson all the same.

“The dormitory that caught fire housed more than sixty students who were left in the cold after the tragedy struck,” Kipsang said.

The police boss further noted that the the police had commenced thorough investigations to establish the real cause of the fire noting that school fire could be on the rise again, if it turns out to be an arson attack.

“Could be electricity fault but we can’t be sure that is why police have commenced investigations,” the Deputy County Commissioner said.

This comes few months after a similar incidence burnt down a dormitory at Kangemi High school in Nairobi county on the Sunday of March 11,2018.

Another dormitory was recently razed down at Elsa Academy in Kisii County in a fire that destroyed property worth millions of shillings on the night of Friday May 4.

It is now feared that the rampant school fires that hit headlines in the better part of the ended year 2017 could be resurfacing once more.

The 2017 fires destroyed dormitories in more than 30 schools in different parts of the country and causing loss of lives in a number of incidences. Property worth billions of Shillings was lost and most of the fires are reported to have been arson attached by the students.

The students are believed to have been uncomfortable with the new curriculum put in place by the then Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr Fred Matiang’i.